2018 STATE OF THE CITY

Tim Theaker, Mayor

As I enter into the final year of my second term as mayor, my team and I remain focused
and committed to many key initiatives which began during my first term, all aimed at
making Mansfield the best city in which to live, work, worship, and raise a family. Our
City’s success is our motivation to aim higher and work harder for the citizens of
Mansfield. With the partnership of city council, other elected officials, and city employees,
efforts continued throughout 2018 to make Mansfield safer, stronger, and smarter. My
administration is proud to be a collaborator through participation and support of our
community as highlighted below.

Mansfield is Rising! Through a collaborative vision for the advancement, improvement,

and growth of our city, and all of Richland County, a dedicated group of community
minded individuals was formed to develop a plan to bring this shared vision to fruition.
After a year of vigorous meetings, planning, and brain storming, exciting transformations
will be noticed throughout our area because of this initiative which will highlight all the
wonderful attractions and warmth Mansfield has to offer.

Another exciting effort in the works is the revitalization of the “Miracle Mile.” Community
leaders and business owners have formed to bring this stretch of Park Avenue back to
the vibrant area many residents remember.

As a second year participant in the America in Bloom competition, Mansfield in Bloom

continued their efforts in 2018 bringing greater recognition to our fair city. Community
members participated and volunteered in many aspects to promote beautification through
environmental and lifestyle enhancements earning us more recognition than in 2017 for
our efforts. In conjunction with Mansfield in Bloom, a beautification program was initiated
in 2018 to acknowledge and reward residents, businesses, and churches for their
beautification efforts. The monthly winner, either chosen by the mayor or nominated by
another party, was recognized at a council meeting and presented with an award. This
friendly competition was well received and will continue this year.

Mansfield took great pleasure in welcoming Colonel Allison Miller as the first woman
commander of the 179th Airlift Wing in April of 2018. We were also honored to have Vice
President Pence visit Mansfield Lahm Airport on October 31, 2018.

We were proud to recognize significant milestone anniversaries throughout 2018 that

included OhioHealth Mansfield’s 100th Anniversary, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church’s 100th
Anniversary, Mansfield Noon Optimists Club’s 95th Anniversary, the Renaissance
Theatre’s 90th Anniversary, the 179th Airlift Wing’s 70th Anniversary, the Dairy Queen’s
70th Anniversary, and North Central State College’s 50th Anniversary.

Mansfield, like many other cities, face challenges, and challenges are never easy, but
together through collaborative efforts as highlighted above, we will keep building an
affordable, more resilient and equitable city for Mansfield residents to proudly call home
now and in the future. The following highlights only a few of the many projects and
services provided by the city as we continue to move forward.
AIRPORT: Design work was finalized for our capital improvement project that included
the rehabilitation of Taxiway Delta between Runway 14 and Runway 5/23. The relocation
of Taxiway Echo construction will commence May 1, 2019. A section of taxiway pavement
in the fixed base area was rehabilitated to improve access to hangars.

Modern Avionics Inc. has been established at the airport since spring of 2018. The
services provided by Modern Avionics have been and will continue to be a great asset to
our airport.

Approximately 600 feet of our Wildlife Fencing project has been completed near the Red
Horse Facility addressing an area of concern which has existed for many years. USDA
Wildlife Services has initiated a one year wildlife survey mandated by the Federal Aviation
Administration.

Airport Day 2018 was again a successful family-friendly event bringing hundreds of
people to our airport to enjoy displays, the Mansfield Aviation Club’s Pancake Breakfast
and an awesome car show.

CERTIFIED BUILDING DIVISION: Throughout the year, a total of 135 structures were
demolished. 37 were through the P.R.I.D.E. levy, and 98 were Neighborhood Initiative
and/or private owners. The Bureau assessed 13 P.R.I.D.E. demos for tax liens totaling
$100,358.15.

We remained vigilant with our cleanup efforts with a total of 3,510 violation complaints or
systematic inspections addressed in 2018. This included litter, garbage/trash, weeds,
junk vehicles, repair orders, condemnation orders, etc. 1,294 mowing complaints resulted
in 162 city initiated mowing’s with lien assessments totaling $16,895.94. 35 right-of-way
cleanups were performed throughout the year.

New and alteration commercial construction permits remained steady as it has over the
last 8 years while residential new and alteration construction permits declined.

2018 saw 589 contractors and 26 garbage haulers registered in the City.

389 zoning applications were submitted for approval.

Total revenue collected by the Certified Building Division for the year was $175,912.45.

CLEARFORK: In our ongoing efforts to upgrade the Clearfork Reservoir Campground,

drilling began in the spring of 2018 for a new well with EPA inspections completed. The
restrooms/showers were also refurbished and upgraded.

A $18,642.00 grant was received from the ODNR to assist with costs associated with
running the Marina Patrol unit at the reservoir.
The walking/fishing bridge in picnic area two had been slated for demolition. After
reevaluation it was determined the bridge could be repaired. Contact was made with
Baldridge Construction who made the needed repairs and resurfaced the bridge so
visitors can continue to enjoy this bridge for many years to come.

The old dilapidated pit toilets were removed from picnic areas and replaced with ADA
compliant portable restrooms.

A complimentary bike repair station was installed at Clearfork which has a tire pump and
all the tools necessary for minor repairs should they be needed while enjoying the trails
at Clearfork.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: The Department of Community Development remained

committed to its core values of providing rehabilitation and repair services to the citizens
of Mansfield. Approximately 39 emergency home rehabilitations and 3 full home
rehabilitations were completed during the past program year with CDBG and HOME
funds. In addition to these activities, the office provided funding to five organizations that
provide public services for low to moderate income residents of the City. These include:
the Culliver Reading Center, the North End Community Improvement Collaborative, the
Richland County Transit Board, Mansfield Metropolitan Housing Authority, and Mansfield
Parks and Recreation.

Fair Housing outreach and education continued in 2018. The City provided fair housing
information to City residents and local social service agencies through educational
brochures and presentations. The Community Development office receives fair
housing/landlord tenant calls and documents the information, and assists residents when
violations have occurred with complaints to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Budenheim USA, Inc. moved their production and

warehousing to Mansfield into their new fulfillment center. They project to have
approximately 100 employees by the end of 2021.

Nanogate Jay Systems began construction of a new R & D facility at their Mansfield
production facility. It is anticipated new plastic technologies that will be developed in the
facility will create opportunities to add as many as 100 new jobs at this facility.

Newman Technologies completed construction of a 52,000 sf addition to their aftermarket

products facility creating 15 full time jobs.

Skybox, LLC recently completed an 88,000 sf addition to their Mansfield facility. They
are in the process of hiring 40 to 45 new full time employees which were anticipated to
be in place by the end of 2018.
Automatic Parts is in the process of acquiring a building in the Airport Industrial Park,
Spyder Graphics purchased the former Hobart Building in Mansfield Industrial Parkway,
and Legendary Looks acquired 1237 W. Fourth Street. All three of these businesses plan
to relocate and expand.

Mid-Ohio Hydrographics and Strassell Machine acquired the former Cole Tool and Die
facility on Ashland Road. The property will house a portion of both businesses with both
expanding and increasing employment.

Akron Children’s Hospital began construction of a new medical facility on Trimble Road
which will employ 30 to 35 full time medical professionals. Ongoing investment in medical
facilities has created a number of higher paying jobs as all have heavily recruited new
physicians to the area.

ENGINEERING: 75 streets and alleys (17.01 miles) were resurfaced during 2018 under
two separate contracts totaling $4.1 million. Grant funds assisted with the resurfacing of
3.1 miles of Lexington Avenue and South Main Street from First Street to the Kroger drive
entrance.

Property acquisitions were initiated for the Touby Run Mitigation project. Other work
associated with this project included the design of the North Main Street Mass Fill project
and the South Park Detention Basin project.

The development of the GIS utility mapping program continued throughout the year
focusing on data integrity and program usability to improve the system.

Engineering initiated the design of the Park Avenue Lift Station Rehabilitation project
securing a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission to assist in the
construction project. They initiated the design of the Millsboro Road Multi Use Path from
Trimble Road to Marion Avenue, initiated the planning phase of the B&O and Trimble
Road Connection project, and the design of the North Lake Twin Arch Bridge Rehab
project.

A preliminary engineering report was completed for the seepage investigation at the
Clearfork Dam. The design of the seepage remediation project has begun.

Engineering administered and inspected the 2018 Inflow and Infiltration Reduction
project. Over 32,000 feet of sanitary sewer was improved to keep storm water from
entering the sanitary sewer. They also administered the City Backflow program and the
OEPA Stormwater Phase II program.

FIRE: The Mansfield Fire Department answered 10,800 calls for service in 2018. Of the
10,800 calls, 2,926 were fire related and 7,874 of the calls were for Emergency Medical
Services (EMS). These transports were able to bring in $1,643,997.44 in cost-recovery
for the department.

The Fire Prevention Bureau conducted 421 inspections and 48 fire investigations. They
also participated in public education in the form of fire safety talks, fire extinguisher
classes, and Safety Town classes. We had a total of 13 arson investigations with 2
indictments and a juvenile charged.

All in all, 2018 was a very busy year for all members of this department. They continually
strive to improve the service they provide for the citizens of Mansfield, continue to work
with the Public Safety Communications Center to improve the implementation of the
Emergency Medical Dispatch system, and will be updating their reporting software this
year in order to comply with state and national requirements. It is anticipated that we will
be able to lower our rating, currently a 4, to a 3 saving all property and business owners
on their insurance premiums.

HUMAN RESOURCES: HR assisted the Civil Service Commission in conducting entry

level examinations for both police and fire along with conducting promotional
examinations in fire. Additionally, the department assisted in the compilation of lateral
transfer candidates for police.

As for health care plans, we continue to work through Anthem as the administrator of our
medical and pharmacy claims. E.S. Beveridge administers our chiropractic/massage
therapy coverage, acts as the City’s wellness coordinator, and as a liaison, when needed,
with Anthem. As the year came to an end we realized a dramatic rise in health care costs
and we explored with the City Insurance Committee potential plan changes. While slight
changes were made, the rising cost of maintaining the current health coverage plan will
be a target for 2019 with the anticipation of significant changes taking place in order to
stabilize costs.

Workers compensation claim levels remained consistent with past years with the majority
of claims involving safety personnel. Lost time related to injuries was minimal. Our
Managed Care Organization remained the same but our Third Party Administrator
changed this year. The goal is to continue managing claims in an effort to reduce their
impact on the City.
Employment levels remained steady with a slight decrease in personnel from 469 in 2017
to 464 in 2018.

The City successfully negotiated a new three year agreement with AFSCME. Disciplinary
matters, grievances and arbitrations stayed consistent with recent years.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Our IT department was involved with setting up a

server for the Police Department, In-Car cameras, upgrading the Crime Lab server,
setting up VPN for police department access from outside our network, and installation of
new computers and/or upgraded computers in our Communications Center and for our
Crime Analyst. A Wi-Fi network was setup for the Police Compound, Priority Dispatch
was implemented in our Communications Center, and the Police Department’s Intranet
server was upgraded as was the public safety servers to 2016.

Updates were made to our Finance Department’s Intranet site and a new server was built
for their ERP system along with new module integration to work with IPad. All fire stations
were set up with Wi-Fi. Assistance was provided to the Courts for their new software
conversion.

IT closed 141 more requests for service tickets than in 2017.

Presence is steady on Facebook with 4,341 friends and followers. Twitter has increased
by 101 compared to last year.

MAINTENANCE: The elevator modernization project started in 2017 came to fruition and
returned both elevators back into service in late February.

A new storage building for the Maintenance Department was constructed at the corner of
Third and Adams. This building will house the department’s snow removal equipment.
The gravel lot was resurfaced with asphalt and striped for vehicle parking. The
surrounding sidewalks were also replaced.

New L.E.D. lighting upgrades were made at the City’s Municipal Parking Lot, at all public
and employee entrances, in the Clerk of Courts Office, and in the Finance and Income
Tax departments. Anticipated cost savings on electricity will be realized with these
upgrades.

Our Maintenance team assisted the Police Department with their C.A.L.E.A. accreditation
by improving a few areas on the first and second floors earning them an award of
accommodation from the Police Department. They were also heavily involved in
Mansfield in Bloom efforts.

Over 400 electronic service requests along with even more verbal requests were
addressed throughout the year by this department.

PARKS & RECREATION: A new bridge was installed at Deer Park thanks to a donation
received from the Richland County Foundation. The Foundation also provided funding
for our “Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs” program bringing in 30 children per session
which is up from last year.

The restrooms at Sterkel Park were removed and are slated to be replaced in the next
few months. The pool at Liberty Park underwent major repairs and will be up and running
for the 2019 season.

The Summer Recreation program took place at North Lake Park and the Ocie Hill Center.
This program provided free recreational activities to approximately 25 children a day and
provided over 1600 free lunches from the Cleveland Food Bank throughout the program.
The Children’s Educational Garden at South Park was part of this program allowing
children to take part in growing and preparing their own food.

Various activities took place in our parks and at the Ocie Hill Center which included
painting and pendant making, “Storytime” provided by the Richland County Library,
Cookies with Santa sponsored by Richland Outreach that consisted of a full Christmas
dinner and a new gift for every child in attendance, our first annual Fall Festival at North
Lake Park and Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Central Park, a Food Truck Festival
at South Park, and the start of an exercise program for seniors at Ocie Hill.

POLICE: In 2018 the Police Department handled 37,646 calls for service and arrested
4,978 persons. Part 1 crime decreased by 10.2% overall as compared to 2017. Burglary
offenses were drastically decreased by 21.5% Personal injury crashes decreased by
2.8% and property damage crashes decreased by 12.4%. Unfortunately there were two
crash fatalities in 2018.

The Division has 81 sworn officers and 35 civilian employees at year end. Two officers
retired and eight new officers were hired during the year. Three officers resigned and
three officers were promoted throughout the year. The Police Department received 55
citizen compliments for outstanding work in the community and continues to share a great
relationship with its community members.
The Detective Bureau’s Domestic Violence Officer was assigned 892 cases. The
detective assigned to assist Children Services was assigned 140 cases. Supervisors in
the Community Services Bureau assigned patrol officers to high crime areas to impact
crime and interrupt criminal activity. The Division created an Unmanned Ariel System
Unit (Drone Unit), received “international” reaccreditation, and sent our youth Explorer
team to compete in the National Explorer competition at Purdue University.

The Police Department is proud of their involvement in the following community programs;
Juvenile Mentoring Program, Golden Agers Program, After School Program, A.C.E.
Program, Leadership Club, PAL Sports, Safety Town, Explorers and Neighborhood
Watch Groups to name a few.

SERVICE COMPLEX: The City’s Vehicle Repair Garage completed 723 work orders in
2018. The Repair Garage was also able to purchase a number of new tools. These new
tools allow for safer operation of city equipment as well as allows for more in house repairs
to be completed.

The Sewer Repair Department generated 1,223 work orders in 2018. The City cleaned
125 catch basins and rebuilt another 76. 249 back-ups were reported to the Sewer Repair
Department, resulting in 22,720 feet of sewer line being jetted. An additional 167,738
feet of sewer mains were flushed during routine maintenance. The Sewer Repair
Department took delivery of a new camera truck in 2018. This state of the art system
sends a motorized camera into sewer lines for inspection and provides pin point locations
where repairs are needed. It also allows crews to determine the cause of problems which
can often be solved without the need to excavate.

The Street Department was assigned 2,253 work orders in 2018. 651 pot holes were
filled and the City made 219 signal repairs plus an additional 241 sign repairs. The City
was able to purchase a new tractor for the Street Department in 2018. This 105 horse
power tractor features both a front and rear pto. The front pto will be used to drive a guard
rail mower and the rear pto will be utilized to power a new flex wing mower. The Street
Department will put this new equipment to good use maintaining larger areas, like those
along US 30 and State Route 13.

The Water Repair Department generated 1,854 work orders in 2018 and completed 92
fire hydrant repairs. This department responded to 278 potential leaks, made 12 new
water taps, and completed 243 turn offs for residents making in home repairs. In 2018
the Water Repair Department purchased two 1-ton dump trucks, one large dump truck,
and a new pickup truck with an added lift gate. This new equipment is replacing some
aging equipment and will greatly reduce repair costs.
UTILITY COLLECTIONS: Utility Collections began changing out water meters on our
top 50 users. Twenty-six of the top 50 were replaced throughout the year including sites
such as MANCI. Richland Correctional, Gorman Rupp, Crystal Care Nursing and
Greenfield Estates.

A new currency discriminator and check scanner system went into full production in 2018
resulting in quicker and more efficient bill and check processing.

Security cameras were added to the vault, storeroom, and basement entry making the
building more secure. The vault camera, in particular, allows remote monitoring in the
event employees have to retreat to that area.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT: The Wastewater Treatment Plant treated 4.14

billion gallons throughout the year with an average of 11.34 million gallons per day. The
Plant disposed of 4,559.12 wet tons of bio solids through their land application program
with an additional 4,575.5 wet tons from their lagoon sludge. With requirements set by
Ohio EPA on the disposal of lagoon sludge, the plant exceeded the minimum requirement
of 1000 dry tons each year. The sludge handling facility is now producing a 10% dryer
product for our land application program due to new dewatering equipment added during
2018 which will reduce the quantity of bio solids to be hauled, thus reducing overall
hauling costs for the year.

One of four final clarifier drives was replaced this past year using a local contractor. Two
of the Plant’s four stationary engines were repaired making all 4 available as needed.
Lighting has been changed to LED throughout the entire plant. The Plant added a
receiving manhole to accept landfill leachate and reevaluated the leachate receiving costs
which has brought an average revenue of $30,000-$50,000 a month.

Routine grounds maintenance was performed along with plant equipment maintenance
throughout the year which included the maintenance of 16 lift stations.

WATER TREATMENT PLANT: The Water Treatment Plant purified and pumped 3.52
billion gallons of water throughout the year with no EPA chemical or bacteriological
violations. The plant laboratory performed 15,834 chemical and turbidity tests and 2,049
bacteriological tests. Drinking water samples were collected and sent to EPA approved
labs for organic contaminants, metals, and radiological contaminants with all tests coming
back within allowable limits.

The Water Plant collected water samples from 46 boil advisories due to water main breaks
or depressurization. Affected areas were tested and cleared within 24 hours of sampling.

The 2017 Annual Consumer Confidence Report was completed with copies sent to our
20,000 customers in their water/sewer bills.
Routine grounds maintenance, mechanical maintenance, and daily security inspections
were performed at the plant facility, lake facility, 10 wells, the Straub Elevated Tank, the
Shaker Elevated Tank, the Shaker Pump Station, and the Woodland Storage Reservoir.

Cost savings were realized from on-peak and off-peak electric utilization for plant
operations, and by increasing ground water blending resulting in lower alum, caustic soda
and other chemical costs.